1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a detachable seat for a vehicle, which facilitates obtaining of a space for any burdens and longitudinal articles and a walk-through space in the vehicle and, more particularly, to a detachable seat which is designed to be foldable or collapsible.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application laid open under Provisionary Publication No. 2001-301496 discloses three seats for a vehicle, which are arranged side by side and designed in order to facilitate obtaining of a walk-through space in the vehicle. The seats comprise first and second seats, and a center seat arranged between the first and second seats. The center seat includes seat leg means slidably supported to a rail mechanism mounted to a vehicle floor and movable forward and rearward in the vehicle, and a seat cushion pivotally supported to a side of a seat cushion of one of the first and second seats so as to be vertically pivoted and adapted to be carried on the seat leg means and releasably secured with respect to the seat leg means during use of the center seat.
The seat leg means is provided with a striker. The seat cushion is provided with a striker lock. The seat cushion is releasably secured to the seat leg means by causing the striker lock of the seat cushion to be engaged with the striker of the seat leg means.
In the conventional center seat constructed as described above, when it is necessary to obtain a walk-through space in the vehicle, releasing of the seat cushion of the center seat from the seat leg means is carried out by causing the striker lock of the seat cushion to be disengaged from the striker of the seat leg means, whereby the seat cushion is released from the seat leg means. In a condition where the seat cushion of the center seat is released from the seat leg means and pivoted upward by a passenger's hand, when forward or rearward movement of the seat leg means is performed while causing the seat cushion to be released from the passenger's hand, the seat cushion of the center seat is pivoted downward by gravity. Thus, the seat cushion of the center seat is vertically accommodated in a space around the side of the seat cushion of the one of the first and second seats to which the seat cushion of the center seat is pivotally supported, whereby the walk-through space can be provided between the first and second seats. In this condition, the center seat is unavailable.
In the conventional center seat, the seat cushion of the center seat is vertically accommodated in the space around the side of the seat cushion of the one of the first and second seats, so that the walk-through space is provided between the first and second seats as discussed above. However, when the walk-through space is provided between the first and second seats, the seat leg means is located forward or rearward from the first and second seats, so that the seat leg means will interfere with widely utilizing of the space between the first and second seats as a storage space for any longitudinal articles, e.g. umbrellas, and a walk-through space.
Japanese Patent No. 3,356,970 discloses vehicle seats that are designed to be detachable from a vehicle floor in order to facilitate obtaining of a storage space for any longitudinal articles and a walk-through space in a vehicle. In the vehicle seats, there are problems of how each of the detached vehicle seats should be folded or collapsed into a single compact configuration after use of the vehicle seats, of how each of the detached vehicle seats should be easily returned to a usable condition when it is to be used, and of how each of the detached vehicle seats should be stably set on the vehicle floor when it is to be used.